My husband just told his son that my rules don't matter in our house.
By @umaok · Family
We had a disagreement about screen time for his son (13). When I tried to enforce the rule we'd BOTH agreed on, my husband shut me down in front of him and said, "She's not your mom, you don't have to listen.".
The full story
I'm so hurt and angry I can barely see straight. My husband and I have been married for three years, and I've been in his kids' lives for five. We have my daughter (11) and his son (13) living with us full-time. We've always struggled with this, but I thought we were a team. We constantly talk about presenting a united front for the kids. Tonight, his son was on his tablet an hour past the time we'd all agreed on for school nights. I gave him a 10-minute warning, then a 5-minute one, then finally told him it was time to put it away and get ready for bed. He completely ignored me. When I went to take it, he yelled for his dad. My husband came in, saw the situation, and instead of backing me up, he just completely undermined me. they told his son he didn't have to listen to me because I'm not his real mom. Now his son is smirking at me, and my husband is acting like I'm the one who overreacted for being upset. they says I was being too aggressive and that his son has 'been through enough,' but the divorce was years ago. I feel like my position in this family is completely erased. I'm not a parent, I'm just the live-in maid who has to follow a different set of rules than everyone else. My daughter sees this, and now she's asking why the rules are different for her brother. I don't know what to do.
How people voted
- OP Is Right — 20% (9 votes)
- Both Messy — 33% (15 votes)
- OP Is Wrong — 48% (22 votes)
Readers say “OP Is Wrong” (48%) — 46 votes and 5 comments so far.
What people are saying
@finnkindof — i'd start enforcing my own rules for my own kid and let his son run wild. see how long he lasts.
@yaralol — sounds like a super healthy and respectful environment for all the children.
@hudsonlol — You stepped into a family unit with a pre-existing dynamic. He knows his son, you don't. Listen to him.
@yaratbh — You're not overreacting. You're a parent in that house, and what he did was completely out of line.
@piahm — reminds me of my first marriage lmao. we are divorced now.
Keep reading
- My boyfriend's family has a 'Championship Belt' for family game night and it's ruining my life.
- My wife wants us to pay $4,000 to fly home for my father-in-law's 65th birthday.
- My dad insists on 'coaching' me through every single home repair project over FaceTime.
- I might actually miss my brother's wedding for the fantasy football draft.
- I finally found my dad's favorite musician after searching for 20 years.